Known for his brilliant cartoons and award-winning children's books, William Steig (1907–2003) left a legacy that spans much of the 20th century. This book features more than 280 of Steig's drawings, many of them previously unpublished, and examines every aspect of his work, from the "Small Fry" cartoons—his earliest submissions to The New Yorker—and his haunting symbolic drawings of the late 1930s and 40s to his later, bitingly funny cartoons and celebrated books for children.

"William Steig (1907–2003) was a one-of-a-kind cartoonist, artist, children's book writer and larger-than-life personality; as his wife Jeanne puts it, 'He was not, as he was moved to say of those who puzzled him, like the other boys and girls.' Hailed as the 'King of Cartoons' in a 1995 Newsweek article, his 70-plus-year career included over 1600 illustrations and 120 covers for the The New Yorker, 18 books of drawings and 31 children's books (including Shrek! and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble). Steig's jittery, energetic, highly influential style draws from his bustling New York City childhood as the son of hard-working Eastern European Jewish immigrants; in her introduction, curator Nahson characterizes his cartoon cast of 'curmudgeons, cranks, and complainers ... as a rich source of humor, but ... also crucial to one of his central insights—there is much to be dissatisfied with in the world.'... Readers will find a reason to smile (if not laugh out loud) on every page. Alongside reminiscences from colleagues, friends and family, this companion to The Jewish Museum exhibit is a delight for devotees of The New Yorker, children's book illustration, and cartooning."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)